Archive for March 2014

Just came home from the Jewel where I saw a woman tie two active dogs to a pole just outside of the market doors. As a dog lover with a daughter who is a vet, the frisky canines did not intimidate me. I did wonder why their owner thought they would enjoy being tied up... Read more »

You would think a former teacher and English major with a master’s degree in early childhood education could help her 7-year-old granddaughter do her first grade reading homework packet. Think again. Last week I spent a few days taking care of my grandkids in Indiana and was really stumped by a first grade assignment. My... Read more »

Driving my 4-year-old grandson to his preschool in Indiana was a hoot. Being a substitute nanny is priceless when given the following directions to get to school: “You drive straight and then you stop. Don’t take a shortcut.” To make the drive more entertaining, I ask him questions about what he will do that day.... Read more »

When she heard Let It Go won the Oscar for best song, my 7-year-old granddaughter, who has Cystic Fibrosis, was overjoyed. She watched Idina Mendel’s performance so many times that this is how her little brother reacted: I had been wondering why the character of Elsa and that song were so powerful for her. When... Read more »

My guest blogger today is my almost 8-year-old granddaughter who has the answer to the perplexing issues between Israel and Palestine. During “share your culture day” at her school, she brought things from Korea and Israel, her two cultures. Her good friend brought things from Palestine. When her friend wondered why Israel and Palestine were... Read more »

When I first started blogging at the end of September, I thought it would be a piece of cake. I was newly retired and a former English major who had written many articles in my career as a preschool director. I had so many opinions about so many things. Why not share them? I had... Read more »

My granddaughter struggles to express herself with words, but she has always been always eager to express herself through her art. After being tossed from an art program last summer, she was pretty discouraged. This is a girl who would rather be creating art than most anything else. Happily, we found our way to Jan... Read more »

In its March 6, 2014 editorial in the printed paper, the Chicago Tribune asks, “Where is the harm in a child taking the ISAT?” The headline read, “Life is a Test.” Wish I could link you to that version, but the online version is substantially different. The print editorial makes several interesting claims about why... Read more »

My mouse hovers and hesitates. How can I “like” a Facebook post that is sad or tragic or pointing out an injustice? Maybe I should “comment,” but if I do, I’ll have to read comments from people I don’t know. Still, does “like” capture what I really want to say? Then there’s the reverse phenomenon.... Read more »

Note: I just corrected my error. The NCLB passed Congress in 2001, 10 years after Dr. Seuss died. Dr. Seuss died in 1991, ten years before the No Child Left Behind Act passed Congress and long before the unintended consequences of this law and the Race to the Top played out in our schools. Today... Read more »

Meet The Blogger

Laurie Levy

I am a passionate advocate for children, developmentally appropriate educational practices, diversity, inclusion, community building, and the rights of children with special needs. Retired after being Founding Director of Cherry Preschool and an early childhood program director for over 30 years, I believe in empowering parents and teachers, and creating caring and just school communities. I also write about whatever strikes my fancy through the lens of an aging Boomer who both battles and embraces change.